‘Extremely icy road conditions’ closed stretch of highway north of Edmonton

CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti speaks with a driving instructor on how to safely navigate the roads after the city was hit with two major snowfalls.

A stretch of highway 70 kilometres north of Edmonton was closed in both directions Tuesday afternoon because of icy conditions.

The province via its 511 road information service said a 20-kilometre stretch of Highway 2 from near Rochester north to Perryvale was closed in all directions at about 3 p.m. “due to extremely icy road conditions.”

By 5:30 p.m., the highway was reopened to traffic.

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Environment Canada and Climate Change had issued a freezing rain warning earlier Tuesday for several communities north of Edmonton, including Westlock, Barrhead, Fort Assiniboine, Athabasca and Thorhild.

Forecasts for the general area call for freezing rain and snow over the day and into the evening.

The province had reported a collision at 1:52 p.m. on Highway 2 near the junction of Highway 661 west of Rochester, affecting travel in both directions on the two-lane road. Travel is not recommended along Highway 661 and for Highway 2 north of Perryvale to Athabasca.

Traffic slowed at the scenes of several collisions on highways north of the city amid freezing rain and snow.

RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Troy Savinkoff told CTV News Edmonton that police received reports on Tuesday of slippery driving conditions north of the Alberta capital.

“Freezing rain is causing black ice and slippery conditions,” said Savinkoff, adding he counted nine vehicles in the ditch on Tuesday while driving between St. Albert and Morinville.

East of the city, traffic in two areas is being affected by freezing rain:

• A traffic incident on Highway 38 north of Bruderheim and east of the Vinca Bridge over the North Saskatchewan River is slowing traffic. Bruderheim is about 30 kilometres northeast of the Edmonton city limit.
• The roads in Elk Island National Park were closed Tuesday afternoon because of icy conditions. Elk Island is 40 kilometres east of Edmonton on Highway 16.

Reports on social media said roads were icy around Boyle, Clyde and Waskatenau, including parts of highways 2, 63, 831 and 881.

Earlier Tuesday, highway collisions that have since been cleared dotted the map north of Edmonton.

About 10 kilometres north of Westlock, a collision affected traffic in both directions of Highway 44 near Township Road 610, as did a jackknifed semitrailer on Highway 63 seven kilometres east of Thorhild.